http://www.kansas.com/sports/wingnuts/index.html News, sports, and entertainment from Kansas.com Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:56 CST en-us Copyright 2009 Kansas.com Wingnuts 60 Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:56 CST http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss McClatchy Interactive's Workbench online@wichitaeagle.com http://www.kansas.com/sports/wingnuts/story/641590.html http://www.kansas.com/sports/wingnuts/story/641590.html Wed, 24 Dec 2008 02:30 CST JEFFREY LUTZ <p><strong>Editor's note: "Best of 2008" spotlights standout moments in Kansas sports during the year.</strong></p><p>Kevin Hooper overcame the odds to reach the major leagues in 2005.</p><p>Oh, no. Not another one of "those" stories. Surely Hooper had to have some talent to play baseball at the highest level, right? It's not as if he was born without eyeballs or stopped growing at 3-foot-7 and 65 pounds.</p><p>Although we've had a 3-foot-7, 65-pound major leaguer. Eddie Gaedel. Talk about beating the odds.</p><p>The truth is, though, players like Hooper aren't supposed to make the majors. He'd probably be the first to tell you that a 5-foot-10, 160-pound shortstop with an average arm, pretty good speed and hit-or-miss offensive skills are most often stashed in the minor leagues, shuffling among multiple organizations as roster filler.</p>